Beware
by thebrokenwing
Summary: Kennedy Carmichael is one of the smartest women to ever walk this Earth. She owns a law firm in Gotham and is behind to stop all crime that goes on in that city. So why does she find herself always enjoying the presence of the one and only Joker?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

 **I love the Joker and TDK is one of my favorite all time movies, and for the longest time I wanted to write a Joker/OC but didn't have the courage but I do now! I hope you all enjoy and I hope to get some feedback on this.**

 **This is just a prologue of the Joker and Kennedy first meeting. I plan to eventually make the chapters a lot longer than this.**

* * *

 **Prologue:**

 **Nine years earlier**

Slow classical music played in the background. Heirs of rich families talked with one another with their heads held high and expensive champagne glasses in their hands. They were all wearing rich designer clothing, names they couldn't even pronounce correctly. Kennedy stood there, with a bored facial expression upon her features, she obviously didn't want to be there.

She knew she was meant for this type of stuff, but it didn't mean she had to like it. She rather have stayed home tonight, curl up in bed and read a book or study for her chemistry test she has Monday morning.

Yet, here she was, stuck at a party with her father and his rich friends and clients. She hated everything about this. She hated how her father had to have been rich and send her to a school she didn't even like - a private one- and leave her to have no friends because she was known as the school nerd. She hated being smart, she hated how her father owns an expensive law firm right here in Gotham, and she definitely hates business parties.

Her father, Kenneth, laughed as he held a cigar in his hands, while talking to a business partner of his. He bragged about having a daughter with straight A's and how she will take over the business when he retires, the same old thing she's heard since she can remember, really.

She felt alone, misunderstood. Glaring out the large glass window of the expensive hotel the party was held at, Kennedy glared down at the fast moving cars down at the bottom of the street. She just wanted to be free.

Kenneth was across the room, oblivious to his daughter having to have left his side while Kennedy stood at the window, a sudden tap being felt on her shoulder.

She turned around, finding a boy, maybe a few years older than her the most. He looked to be about seventeen and she was thirteen.

"Hi," he smirked down at her.

Kennedy just glared at the older boy, "Hi…" she said awkwardly. She wasn't used to talking to boys. They didn't pay much attention to her at school since she was younger and some of them were mostly intimidated by her since she was so smart.

Kennedy was enrolled into the tenth grade even though she's thirteen. She ended up skipping two grades along the years. Since she started high school last year she's regretted it. She didn't get along with the older kids and she never feels comfortable.

"You go to _GreenWay_ , right? You're that smart kid everyone talks about, huh?" the blond haired, blue eyed boy spoke.

Kennedy shrugged one shoulder, "Um, yeah. Do you?" she asked as politely as possible.

He nodded his head, "Yeah, I'm a senior," he glanced around the room as she looked down at her shoes, there was an awkward tension between the two of them and she didn't know why.

He started, "Hey, I saw this cool thing outside. Want to come check it out?" he gestured his head in direction of the elevator.

Kennedy paused. She looked across the room and saw her father laughing with his friends. Should she go? What's there to hurt? Doesn't she at least want to experience some fun?

She nodded and followed him to the elevator, all of this going unnoticed by her father.

* * *

 _Maybe she shouldn't do this_...she thought too late as they both stood in the elevator quietly as it took them up to the rooftop.

Walking out of the elevator and up the stairwell to the door that leads to the rooftop, the boy whose name she has yet to learn, opens the door and she follows him out. Her arms immediately wrap around herself as the cold night air hits her.

He brings her to the edge of the roof. The both of them lean against the short edge and look down at the passing cars.

"My name is John, by the way," he smirked.

She smiled shyly, "I'm Kennedy." She introduced herself incase he didn't know her name.

He rolled his eyes, "Everyone knows who you are. Kennedy Carmichael. _Gotham's Genius_."

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "I've always hated that title," she scoffed.

He laughed, "I think it's hot." He winked at her, causing the young girl to blush.

Kennedy blinked when she heard some sort of creaking sound from across the roof. "Did you hear something?" She asked John.

John shrugged having to have heard nothing, "Nah. It's probably just the sound of the party downstairs or something."

Then before Kennedy knew it, she was on the ground with John on top of her.

"Shh." He whispered to her. "Don't scream. I'll try not to make it hurt- much." he laughed as he attacked her neck with sloppy kisses, his hand over her mouth as she screamed and tried to squirm away from him. She kicked and pushed as hard as she can but he leaned all his bodyweight on top of hers. Tears fell from her eyes. She was too young for this! She didn't want this to happen to her. Not like this!

John's hand went straight for the zipper on the back of her dress. He was able to pull it down slightly but before he can get it all the way off, John found himself on the cold hard cement, getting punched in the face.

"You don't," _punch_ , "touch a girl," _punch_ , "like that," _punch_ , "fucker." Spoke a raspy voice.

After finally getting her breath back, Kennedy looked up, leaning on her elbows, she couldn't see what was going on because it was too dark but she can hear the noises of grunting and something getting hit. Hard.

"H-hey, get-get off m-me." She heard someone grumble and then a laugh was heard after that.

"Get the hell out of here." She heard a voice, the raspy voice.

Then there was the sound of running and the sound of a door slamming shut.

Her breath got caught in her throat when the feeling of being watch dawned on her. Footsteps made their way towards her, she flinched with brown eyes met hers. The lights from the city shined on the man's face.

The man couldn't be a day over eighteen. His eyes, they were so unique, she would forever remember those eyes. He just glared at her, he roughly grunted, "Watch who you trust next time, kid." He spoke, and then in a blink, the stranger was gone.

Stranger.

Her savior.

She couldn't believe it. She was almost... _raped_. To an older boy at her school! And that-that man, a guy she didn't even know saved her.

She didn't even realize she was crying until she tasted the salt of her tears on her lips.

When she finally was able to get the courage to walk back down to the party she was relieved to not find John anywhere in sight.

* * *

She was still shaking slightly when the elevator doors opened revealing the guests who were now all slightly drunk and getting ready to leave to their penthouses and mansions. She wondered who that man on the roof was. _Why was he on the roof? Where did he go? Will she ever see him again? Who was he?_

So many questions and she had no answers. Did any of what she witness even happen? Or was she going crazy? She doesn't even trust her own judgement anymore.

She knows she can't call the police, or go crying to her father with what happened. No one would believe her, and John and his family must have money, and in their society, everyone and anyone would probably take his word over hers.

She waited by the elevator and said goodbye to the guests as they left, waiting for her father like the obedient daughter she was.

"Have a nice night, darling?" He asks as they both head towards the elevator.

She nods placing a fake smile on her face, "Of course, father."


	2. Chapter 1

**AN- I don't know how old the youngest woman to graduate from Harvard was, so I just made up Kennedy's.**

 **Also, don't worry. This won't be one of those stories of Stockholm Syndrome or etc. This is pure romance, well not so much in the beginning, it has to build up to make it as realistic as possible but it won't be a long wait I assure you. (:**

 **PLEASE EXCUSE ALL SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS. MY SPELL CHECK DECIDED NOT TO WORK I GUESS.**

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

 **Present Time**

At twentyy-two-years-old, Kennedy Carmichael is considered to be one of the brightest women in America. When graduating high school at the age of fourteen and a half, with a 5.0 G.P.A., and scored above excellent on the SATs, it came to no surprise that Kennedy was able to graduate from Harvard Law School at nineteen years old (youngest woman to ever graduate from there.)

She remembers the way her father had boasted to his collegues about how successful his daughter is. She felt so proud of her self because her dad was proud of her, and that was all she ever wanted, to impress him.

She never planned on moving back to Gotham after graduating. She was eager to move to Manhattan after college and starting at a firm there that had been wanting her since she first started Law School. Things changed when she had gotten a phone call from her father one morning in her large apartment in Cambridge.

For the first time, in her whole life, her father _needed_ her. He needed her to be there for his firm. He was sick, been sick for a while now, but didn't want to have her fuss when she was in the middle of school.

Kenneth did the thing he always does, manipulate Kennedy into doing whatever he wanted. She's a smart girl, smarter than him, but she is naive when it comes to the people she cares about. He knew what kind of hold he had on her. All she wanted was to impress her father, like an obedient daughter, because he _saved_ her.

He convinced her to come back to Gotham to learn the ropes of running the firm and to eventually take it over when he gets too sick.

Kennedy knew in the back of her mind that her father was simply taking advantage of her again, but she couldn't help but feel like she _had_ to do it.

Four months after shadowing her father at the firm and learning everything he did, Kenneth ended up in the hospital with a heart attack. One he didn't survive from.

Kennedy had never felt more alone. She went into a deep depression that she still hasn't fully healed from. Therapy couldn't help her. She kept making smart comments throughout the two sessions she had taken with one of the best therapists in the state. She didn't know that she was doing it though, she would instinctivley critique the doctor whenever she made a comment about her. After the end of the second session, they both ended up equally agreeing that it just wasn't working out.

The first week after her father's death was like a blur to her. She couldn't remember any specific details or even how she got out of bed some mornings. She just remembers the crying and the feeling of emptiness deep inside of her. The one person in her life that she depended on was dead. She didn't know how she would survive through life in such a lonely way...although it was pretty lonely before he had died also.

Becoming "the boss" at the firm was really hard at first. Many people thought she wasn't right for the position because she had no "real" experience. She begged to differ and fought for her position and company given to her by her father. It was the only thing she had left of him considering he had given away half of his money and every place he owns to his current wife Martha. They had only been together for two years...

Right after Kenneth's funeral, Martha left to Europe. Claiming she needed to "deal" with the feeling of losing Kenneth. A couple weeks later, Kennedy found a photo online of Martha dancing with a man around Kennedy's age. Kennedy felt so sick to her stomach she ended up throwing up her lunch.

Around Kennedy's twentieth birthday, was when she knew she had a problem. She would wake up most mornings stiff, and the feeling of fatigue drained her all the time. She first blamed it on stress from work. When she started finding herself with slight fevers, achey hands to the point where she couldn't type on the computer for more than ten minutes, and trouble walking up and down the stairs to her apartment, she knew she needed to see a doctor quickly.

Her primary doctor first told Kennedy to take a few days off of work, maybe the stress was getting to her. Kennedy had rolled her eyes and said, "I did that. Look, I know when there's something wrong with my body and-"

Her doctor quickly stopped her, "I know, Miss Carmichael. If it will make you feel more comfortable I will run a blood test and see if anything is perculiar, but you're a young and healthy woman. I doubt anything is seriously wrong."

Running the blood test, they found an over count of white blood cells. Her doctor- Dr. Stevens- knew better than to just ignore it. She had hoped it was because maybe Kennedy had a virous or infection, but she had a feeling it was something more.

The next week when Kennedy had an appointment with Dr. Stevens to speak about her blood test results, she found her doctor with an odd facial expression on her face.

Dr. Stevens explained what she had found in her test results. Kennedy instatnly became on high alert, knowing exactly what and overcount of white blood cells could mean, "I don't have cancer, do I?"

Her doctor's eyes widened, "I honestly don't think so, don't worry, Miss Carmichael."

Kennedy frowned, "No offence, Dr. Stevens, but last time you thought there was nothing wrong and-"

Dr. Stevens interrupted, "And there still could be nothing wrong. False blood test results happen more frequently than any doctor would like to admit. I didn't find any signs of cancer in the last blood test, but I think taking another one would be good, just to make sure, and this time I'm adding a couple more things...just incase. And if everything comes out fine, I think you should still continue seeing a physical therapist."

The next week after taking the new blood test, Kennedy was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. She didn't cry. She didn't feel bad about herself, she simply accepted it without any questions. She was put on medications for the inflammation in her hands and knees, pain, etc. She struggled, day to day, but with the help of the medicine she was able to get around more frequently than before.

She knew she wasn't going to necessarily get better, but she knew in the meantime that she couldn't get much worse.

A year later was when she stresed the most, since Gotham had gone to hell that is. For the first few months it had first started with that crazy doctor at Arkham, Crane wasn't it? Eventually the city was under attack, but was able to survive it all. Thanks to the Batman, surely. Kennedy still cringes at the thought of him, what kind of grown man dresses up as a Bat and fights crime?

Then _he_ happened. He had his green hair, face full of paint, purple suit, and yet, he was still able to intimidate so many people. She knew he was a lunatic, why go after a city that has already been through so much pain? She knew though, that nobody just attacked a city for no reason. He has his reasonings. She just thinks she shouldn't ever know what they are.

She was meant to be on the ferries that night. When she had been stuck in traffic and found that she had missed the boat she was completely devestated, but then when she found out what had happened that night, what _The Joker_ was planning to do to them, all she felt was relief. Some of it was for their safety, but she couldn't help but admit to herself that she was relieved she wasn't on the ferries, that she didn't have to go through that process of getting blown up or blowing up someone else.

* * *

Kennedy's office was massive compared to five offices combined at the firm. It was her fathers and when he had died, she had moved everything out of his, put it in storage and replaced it with her furniture. She couldn't look at his stuff for another minute without shredding a tear.

It was just half past nine when she was getting ready to head home. It was dark out and most of the office was empty considering the next day is a holiday. She was locking up her desk drawers, and finishing up with putting folders in her briefcase, when all of a sudden the lights turned off.

Kennedy stopped what she was doing for just a second, and looked around the now pitch black office. _Calm down_ , she told herself as a sudden fear starting making it's way to the surface. _You know the lights have been flickering one and off all day today, Kennedy,_ she thinks.

"Hello?" she called out from her office, knowing her glass door was already open. There was an unusual silence down the hallway and Kennedy scowled to herself. "Andrew? Kelly? Anyone still here?" she tries again. No answer. Kennedy rolls her eyes. The one night everyone decides to leave early and _she_ gets stuck with a blackout.

She took a step away from the desk, her hands on the edge so she can have an idea where she was going. Right when she rounded to the front of it the lights turned back on slowly.

And that is how Kennedy came face to face with the Joker.

Eyes wide and her jaw dropped to the floor, Kennedy subconciously takes a large step back, her backside hitting against the front of her desk. A sharp and ear piercing scream leaves her lips.

The Joker's face twists into annoyance and his hands cover his ears. "Stop the screaming before I make you," he spat.

Kennedy catches her breath and tries to calm herself down. _Why is he here? What does he want from her? Is he here to kill her like he killed Rachel Dawes? Is this the end for her?_

On any normal circumstance, Kennedy would never stutter, but considerdering how pale her face is and how fast her heart is beating per minute it's a surprise she didn't pass out, "Y-You- Wha-Why-How-"

The Joker rolls his eyes. "No need for the dramatics, Sweetcheeks." he laughed to himself like he said something funny. Her breathing became erratic again. "Now, close that jaw of yours and lets get down to business. The night just became dark and I have only so little time..."

Kennedy shook her head, "I'm calling the-"

"Police?" He finished for her. Another insane laugh escaped him, "I just escaped from the police. What use are they, _really?_ "

Her hand started to shake, she held it against her thigh and squeezed tightly, even if it hurt her.

The Joker stuck out his tongue and licked his scars. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, business." He smirked. "Now, Kennedy Carmichael, you are indeed a laywer, yes? One of the best, they say?"

She didn't answer him at first, which made him angry. "Answer me when I speak to you." He raised his voice.

"I-uh- yes." Her voice cracked slightly.

Now the Joker was smirking, "I need you to defend me."

Kennedy finally caught her voice. Confusion cluttering her mind, "Why?" she asked him, "If you can escape out of there, what's the point of-"

He raised his hand, "You really are pushing my patience, Girly. It's none of your business why I'm doing what I'm doing. Do I make myself clear?"

Kennedy gulped visibley. She didn't understand the point of going to court and having _her_ specifically defend him, when he's technically free and none of them at Gotham P.D. have a clue. Besides she doesn't want to defend him. He's the Joker for goodness sake! Why defend a man that isn't going to change? He's just going to go back and do the same old things he did before. Why put herself and Gotham through that all over again?

 _Maybe because he seems like he isn't going to be giving her a choice..._

The Joker continued, "I'm pleading insanity..."

 _Obviously_ , she thought to herself.

Joker glared at her as if he read her mind, "Don't be looking like that, girl. I can rip your tongue out faster than you would even blink. Do as I say and this won't be a problem for the both of us." He showed off his sinister smirk.

Kennedy flinched.

Her eyes suddenly, by accident, met his. They're a deep brown. A brown she had only seen one other time in her life. A brown she would never forget. She mentally scoffs to herself and shakes her head. Millions of people have the same color eyes. _Don't be obsurd, Kennedy_.

He grabs her chin, and tugs violently. His face closes up to hers. His eyes wide and crazed. "Stop playing games. _Don't_ look at me like that. I'll carve a never-ending smile into that mouth of yours, I _would."_

She felt the tears start to well up. _Don't you cry. Don't you fricking cry, Kennedy._

After a long moment, he drops his hand and lets go of her chin. She sighed in relief.

The Joker turns and around and looks at the clock on the wall for a quick second and then hastily turns back around to face Kennedy. He glares, "You wasted my time, girly, with your chit-chat. Now I only have a few- nevermind." He shook his head and glared at the hardwood floor before looking back up at her.

 _Why her?_ She couldn't help but think. _What was the point of any of this?_

"Meet me at The Grand, tomorrow night. We can discuss...details, we'll call it." The Joker rolled his eyes, "If you don't show up or if you mention _any_ of this to anybody, I'll find you and I swear, you're going to wish you never even spoke my name in your presense." With one last glare, and a flicker of the lights it went pitch black again.

Kennedy screamed on instinct.

When the lights came back on a moment later, The Joker was nowhere to be found.

* * *

 **A/N- I hope this was enjoyable for you guys! This chapter was SUPER hard to write. I had no idea how I wanted to go about it but it finally just clicked. I hope I gave the Joker some justice... He's a really hard character to get down, honestly. I know Kennedy may seem like a "baby" but in my opinion, I just think she would react just like anyone else in her situation would. She wouldn't stand up to the Joker or anything like that. That's not really realistic.**

 **Also, about the RA. I originally wasn't going to put that in, but I figured why not. Most people in the world have something about them that isn't perfect. I know many people that have RA and although I do not, my mother does and I see what she goes through all the time. I wanted to incorporate something and I wasn't going to write about cancer (honestly those are just too sad for me to write or even read and I just wanted to do something that was different since I've never read a story where the main character had arthritis.)**

 **So as a disclaimer, I don't know how it feels at all whats so ever. I'm probably going to get a lot of it wrong but it's just something I thought I'd write about...**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N- Sorry for the very slow update. There's no excuses. I'll try to be more frequent.**

 **My apologies, but thank you for the amazing feedback so far.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

The cold air kisses Kennedy's skin as she stands in the late hours of the night outside of The Grand; an old theater in the Narrows that doesn't get much business nowadays. Her long white winter coat kept her warm, but her face feels as if it's freezing off. She wraps her arms around herself as if that would help. It doesn't.

This type of weather isn't the best for her condition. It tends to make her knees ache a bit more than usual, but she puts up with it. Leaning against the long brick wall off to the side of the building she stands. Still waiting.

Part of Kennedy doesn't know exactly why she's doing this. She should be going to the authorities. Telling them how the Joker is easily getting away right from under their noses! Yet, here she still is, getting mixed up in one of his crazy schemes.

She hates to admit it, but the man is smart when it comes to planning his insane ideas. Smart enough to even get in and out of jail.

Kennedy wonders when the police will eventually catch on.

Another reason she's afraid to go to the cops is that the Joker would easily find out that she had snitched. Which would more than likely cause her to fall to her impending death. Something that Kennedy just isn't quite ready for.

The sound of shoes scraping against the hard pavement causes Kennedy to lift her head up. Finding a man in a familiar purple suit heading down the alley. Fear bubbles up inside of her. She bites her lip, trying to keep her feelings at bay.

"Ah. I see you followed through. Good decision," Remarks the Joker with a cackle.

Shrugging slightly, Kennedy says, "It's not like a had much of a choice."

The Joker smirks, "I'm known for not giving the best of choices."

 _Don't I know it_ ; Kennedy can't help but think to herself. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she sees the Joker watch her movements cautiously.

"Anyways," drawls the Joker, "as my lawyer- "

"Wait!" She exclaims, causing him to stop from continuing. He raises an eyebrow, surprised at her sudden outburst.

Blinking, he says, "What is it now, girl?"

"I-I-I'm just wondering, What's in it for me?" She asks. She doesn't want to go through all of this for no reason. She needs to get something out of it.

The Joker glares in her direction, "I don't kill you."

Kennedy shakes her head, "If I'm going to be practically ruining my career and all respect I have for myself just for some scheme, I need a better reason- "

With the roll of his eyes, he replies, "Fine. Whatever you want, girl. It's yours."

Kennedy's eyes widen. Whatever she wants? Now she doesn't know what she wants. She pretty much has everything she ever wanted out of life. She's a partner at a law firm, has a nice apartment, makes great money. What more can she want?

"Can I think about it?" She asks him.

The Joker shrugs a shoulder, "I don't care. Just don't waste my patience, girly. Especially if it's something I can't grant you."

She nods her head and waits for him to continue what he was saying before she interrupted him.

Using his hands to run his hand through his dark green hair and then absent mindedly wiping off the invisible dirt off of his suit sleeves, the Joker sighs, " _Anyways_ ," he glares at her from the corner of his eye, "as I was saying, as my lawyer you will represent me. Now, instead of sending my off to Arkham like I expected them to. They're talking about killing me off at death row." He laughs.

Kennedy can't help but give him a look as if he's insane, "And you find that _funny_?"

The Joker gives her an expressionless stare, "Of course." He licks his lips. "If they really decide to send me there I can just leave, you know, girly."

 _Right._

"But then what's the point of all this? Me representing you? It doesn't make any sense. Besides there's nothing I can do that would even help you. Your face is all over those videos you've sent to Gotham PD. You were caught red handed after fighting Batman. Nothing I can do will save you- "

"Pleading insanity would," Says the Joker with a smirk, then he licked his own scars.

That was true. He is considered an insane man. Painting his face like a clown and doing such insane things with the way he talks and laughs finding it all amusing could result from a mental disorder.

"Alright," She nods her head thoughtfully, "but that still doesn't explain why we're even doing this in the first place. Like right now, you can easily go somewhere. You've escaped. You're free now. Why not just go and do whatever you want with your life? Why try getting sent to Arkham?"

The Joker grins, "Well where's the fun in that?"

Kennedy narrows her eyes suspiciously, "If we're going to be doing this, I need to know everything."

He shakes his head, "You don't need to know everything, girl. Rather not fuck up that little smart mind of yours."

Kennedy can't hide the blush that fills her cheeks. The Joker notices and only smirks in response.

"So, there is something going on? There's a reason you're not leaving?" She tries to figure it all out in her mind.

He rolls his eyes, "Shut up. There's only so much of your fucking voice I can take."

Kennedy shrinks against the wall. She hasn't forgotten who he was. He's still a man that will kill her at the drop of a hat.

Shaking her head, she thinks aloud, "This is going to ruin my reputation. I'm going to lose a lot of clients. Probably even lose my job- "

The Joker scoffs, "You don't need them, Sweet cheeks. I'll pay you well enough to where you'll never have to work again."

She crosses her arms above her chest. She doesn't want his dirty money. Besides she loves being a lawyer, doesn't she? Or did she only do it because it's what her father did.

Lifting her head, she stared into his dark brown eyes. If he wasn't such a cold blooded killer, his eyes would seem almost inviting. They provide a hint of warmth to them and they make her feel safe. Which she finds highly ironic.

She wonders what he looks like under all that face paint Whether his hair is soft after a shower compared to the greasy terrible dryness it has now.

"Stop staring at me like that, girly. I don't like it, "He spoke huskily. Which would have made Kennedy almost weak if it wasn't for the way he glared at her.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just curious." She stutters.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Kennedy is starting to get a bit tired. She wants to get this conversation over with.

"So, how are we going to do this?"

With a smirk, the Joker rubs his hands together, "Now this is the fun part. Tomorrow you'll go to Gotham PD. Tell them who you are, and say you need a meeting with your client. The one and only Joker." He laughs hysterically.

Her eyes widen but she says nothing. She has no choice.

"Alright, girl- "He starts to say, but it interrupted by her speaking so freely.

"My name is Kennedy," She mutters.

Joker shrugs, "Don't like Kennedy much. What about Ken? Or Kenny?"

Kennedy stares at him for a long moment. There's apartments across from The Grand. She hears the sounds of children's laughter and screams from God knows what around the block. Random cars drive up and down the street and the only source of light is from the broken street light that is constantly flickering on and off.

"It doesn't matter. It's not like I can stop you from calling me either one." Even though she hates both names.

The Joker laughs, "You're catching on very well, _Kenny_."

Growing up, Kennedy wasn't used to hearing much endearments or nicknames. Her father called her "darling" on occasion, but that was it. Usually it was just Kennedy. That's what it was to everyone else, Kennedy or Gotham's Genius. Only the Joker has ever thought to give her a real nickname.

The sound of sirens from a few blocks away causes Kennedy to flinch. The Joker looks calm and collect as usual.

"Aren't you afraid that's them looking for you? Maybe they found out you're out of your- "

The Joker laughs, "Impossible."

Kennedy furrows her eyebrows, "How so?"

He stops smiling and glares at her again. "What did I say before, girl? It's none of your business. If I don't tell you something, it means you don't gotta know it," He spat.

Nodding her head reluctantly, Kennedy sighs. The cold was starting to get to her and she felt as if she's going to pass out any minute now.

"It's getting late. Can I go? I'll see you tomorrow."

She waits for him to excuse her. It's sad, really, but if she wants to make it out of this situation alive then she'll take every precaution she can.

With a sharp nod, the Joker grumbles, "Yeah, yeah. Be there tomorrow no later than four o'clock, Kenny."

There was a threat in there somewhere. She heard it, and she knows he means it.

She nods her head once, then turns on her heel. Taking one step forward, she is stopped by his voice again.

"How're you getting home?" He asks as he sucks on his scars.

Looking over her shoulder, Kennedy shrugs a shoulder, "Taxi."

The Joker scoffs, "At this time at night? In the narrows? You idiotic girl." He chuckles shaking his head.

He passes by her and Kennedy immediately takes offense. "Excuse me, but I am not an idiot- "

The Joker chuckles, interrupting her. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Gotham's Genius and all." He laughs like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard.

"I don't like that title." She can't help but mumble.

He stops laughing and turns back around to find her obediently following him down the alley. With no smile on his face, he answers her, "I know." Then he grabs her arm, ignoring her gasp of shock, and pulls her into the direction of a small black car with very dark tinted windows.

"We're taking you home," He grounds out as he shoves her into the back seat along with him. Sitting in the front seat is a man with a navy blue baseball cap on and a black jacket. "John, go to sunset."

Her eyes widen, "How do you know where I live?" She's shaking with fear. Being in a small car with the Joker and one of his henchmen is not an ideal place to be.

The Joker snorts almost, "I know everything about you, Kenny dear."

The ride to her apartment is long, but silent. She stares out the window the entire time while the Joker changes from glaring out the front window to then looking down at her every so often. His gloved hands twitches, as if he wants to do or say something but changes his mind.

When the car pulls up to the back of her apartment building, Kennedy sighs to herself. Does she say thank you? She feels uncomfortable at the thought of saying that to a man like him, yet at the same time she feels gratitude for him not letting her almost get put into a risky situation.

Turning her head slightly, she whispers, "Um, uh, thanks, Joker."

He gives a curt nod, "Just be there tomorrow."

She smiles slightly then opens the door and heads in through the backway to her building. Tonight was now where near what she thought it was going to be.


End file.
